Question

Ceiling Bowling ball

A pendulum is made with a bowling ball as the bob and a wire attached to the ceiling, as shown in the illustration below. The person in the illustration pulls the bowling ball back until it touches his nose, then releases the bowling ball. Assume that he does not move. 1.Describe the changes in the potential energy and the kinetic energy of the bowling ball as it swings back and forth. 2.Explain whether the bowling ball will hit the person's nose. Include a discussion of energy changes in your explanation. 3.Explain what will happen if the person gives the bowling ball a small push as it is released. Include a discussion of energy changes in your explanation.

Answer 1

a)

here

when th bowling ball is held back at its starting position all of its energy is poential energy . As the person go at the ball the gravitational potenial energy is converted into kinetic energy because potential and kinetic energy are inversely related , At th top of the swing all the energy is potential and at the bottom all the energy is kinetic

b)

The bowling ball will not hit the person's nose because as with all energy conservation some is lost in the process due to friction

c)

if the bowling ball is given a small push at the point of release some kinetic energy will be added and the ball will swing farther than if it were just released regularly.The ball may come back and hit the person's nose